Sea and Sun
by Tsume12
Summary: Because there really isn't enough Apollo/Percy slash out there.
1. Prelude

_Mildly AU. Annabeth and Percy were never together, instead their relationship is more sibling-oriented. Post PJatO, no HoO._

_FYI-I haven't given up on my other stories. Just don't have a lot of writing time. This has been hanging out on my computer for a while, half-finished, so I decided to post it._

_Prelude_

The first time Apollo had seen Percy Jackson, it was on a 'television' screen on Olympus, the twelve-year-old demigod son of Poseidon using his incredible power to save himself and a daughter of Athena.

The second time, the boy was thirteen, managing somehow to gain his male-despising sister's respect.

He'd seen Percy Jackson several more times after that, most notably when the then sixteen-year-old demigod turned down godhood in favor of having them make an oath that could prevent another uprising from Kronos, provided they kept that oath.

Apollo started keeping a discreet eye on Poseidon's son. He was curious at first, then interested… then that interest turned into infatuation, then something he hadn't felt in millennia. The emotion was so foreign to him that it took his sister's pointed hints to figure it out.

"Who is it, Apollo?" Artemis asked after appearing in the garden one evening, idly twirling a silver arrow between her fingers. She'd gotten much less irritable with the male deities—well, _some_ of the male deities—since Poseidon's son had managed to prove that not all men were self-centered jerks, but the sudden appearance of his sister and the rather pointed question still caught the Sun God off guard.

He tore his gaze away from the moonless night sky, "Who is who?"

The apparent twelve-year-old rolled her eyes, "You're _pining._"

He opened his mouth to refute that when it struck him that he really kind of _was._ He closed his mouth again.

"Seriously, brother, I haven't seen you act like this in over three thousand years. She must be something special."

Apollo coughed, "He," he corrected, a little sheepishly. Homosexual relationships were _far_ from unheard-of by the Greeks, but he hadn't really paid much attention to men in that way for a few hundred years.

Artemis raised an eyebrow, prompting without words.

Apollo shifted, "Percy Jackson."

Artemis stared for several seconds, then shook her head. "… at least you picked someone tolerable."

Apollo shook his head, "Don't you get it? I can't—I can't _do_ this to him! He's been through enough already!"

Artemis hesitated. Apollo—this was _not_ the infatuation she had suspected, though she was pretty sure it had started out as such. He brother had not fallen in love in a long, long time—his flings with mortals were just that; the godly equivalent of one-night stands. Though he did watch over his children, moreso now that he was allowed more contact, their mothers had never truly captured his heart. The fact that Apollo was putting the demigod's needs above his own desires spoke volumes.

She took a breath, "Is he involved in a relationship?"

Apollo looked at her oddly, "No, but—"

"You should try."

"_What?_"

Artemis thought about how to phrase what she wanted to say, "Apollo, he'd a demigod. He already knows who you are and the risks involved. And… you could make him happy. I know how you are when you really care. You won't abandon him."

"No, but…" Apollo shook his head in frustration, "He's had enough godly interference in his life."

"Has he said that?"

The Sun God looked away, clearly unconvinced.

"Besides, you're worrying all of us with your behavior. Hermes is trying to think of ways to cheer you up and Father has mentioned making you talk to him."

Apollo grimaced at that thought.

"Brother… give him a chance. It should be his choice to make."

Finally he gave a half-shrug—the closest he'd get to agreement at this point.

Artemis sighed and left.

_xxxx_

The next morning, Apollo caught up with Poseidon in the hall outside the throne room. If he was going to do this… well, he didn't want it to hurt Percy's relationship with his father.

Poseidon turned to face him, one eyebrow raised questioningly.

Apollo took a deep breath and steeled his resolve. "Lord Poseidon," he began formally, prompting a sudden change in the Sea God's expression.

"Apollo," Poseidon returned, knowing that a formal Sun God was a serious Sun God.

"I would like your permission to court your son, Percy."

Something flashed in the Sea God's eyes and the floating island that was Olympus trembled for a moment before stilling.

Poseidon's first impulse was to deny such, vehemently and _violently,_ but he reigned in his temper to go over the words again.

It had been over thirty-five hundred years since Apollo had loved someone. His broken heart upon his lover's death had led to decades of near-solitude and millennia of not letting himself get close to anyone but the gods. Apollo had been both formal and specific—courting was not dating. It implied something far more dedicated, an intent to discover if two people were compatible for a permanent relationship.

Coming from the Sun God… it was a promise.

Poseidon decided, then let the silence drag on another minute to examine the younger god.

Apollo was waiting quietly, not fidgeting as he usually would, though it was easy to see the apprehension in his eyes.

"Very well," Poseidon waited a beat for the reply to sink in, as Apollo's first expression was something between confusion and disbelief. "But, Apollo, if you hurt my son…"

The threat hung in the air between them, and Apollo nodded before smiling, "Thank you, Lord Poseidon."

Poseidon paused, eyes going briefly distant. "Percy is at Long Island Beach, not far from Camp Half-Blood."

Apollo's expression was pure disbelief before he grinned, vanishing in a flash of gold.

_xxxx_


	2. Chapter 1

_**Chapter 1**_

Percy relaxed under the waves, far enough out from shore that he wasn't being rolled around by the surf. Times like this, it was good to be a son of the Sea God. Underwater breathing was _great_.

He stared up at the sky through ripples on the water's surface, laying back against the sand. Some sea creatures had started to gather around, curious about the strange sea-thing in the water, and Percy absently rubbed his hand over the rough skin of a young shark.

The flash of golden light caught his attention. It didn't seem like a monster-type-thing. Looked more like that flash from when the gods teleported… or like someone had blown out a light-bulb the size of the sun.

Percy surfaced to look and was surprised—despite his earlier suspicion—to see Apollo standing on the beach, turning a slow circle as though looking for something.

Curious, Percy willed the currents to carry him to shore and waded out of the shallows. "Lord Apollo!" he called, by way of greeting.

Apollo spun to face him, suddenly looking more nervous than Percy had ever imagined a god being. "Percy!" he returned, taking a hesitant step towards the demigod. "Um… can I talk to you?"

"Sure, Lord Apollo," Percy liked Apollo. The god was one of the few that had never wanted him dead, and the Sun God had a pretty awesome sense of humor.

Apollo made his way closer, then dropped down to sit in the sand just above the water-line, indicating with a gesture for Percy to join him. "Please, Percy, there's no need to call me 'Lord'."

That was… unexpected. Still, Percy grinned, "All right. Apollo it is."

Apollo managed a quick, still-nervous smile. "Percy… I…" he hesitated, trying to think of how to say what he wanted to say. Percy would want to know what was going on, straight-up and right off the bat. The Sun God knew more than enough about Percy to know that.

He let out a breath, dragging a hand through his hair. "I spoke to your father," he eventually settled on.

Percy twisted to face him more fully, tilting his head in question.

"I asked for his permission to court you," Apollo blurted out before covering his eyes with one hand. "That was _not_ how I wanted to say that."

Percy was staring, "You _what?_"

"I… I like you, Percy," Apollo dropped his hand to twist his fingers in the hem of his sky-blue t-shirt, looking down as his cheeks flushed golden. "I mean, I _really_ like you. I want to see if we could…" he trailed off.

"You asked my dad if you could date me."

Apollo looked up, mildly affronted, "No. I asked if I could _court_ you. There's a difference."

Percy made a 'keep going' gesture.

"Courting is to see if two people are compatible for a long-term relationship. It's not as quick or messy as dating."

Percy leaned back a bit, seeming thoughtful. "Why me? I'm not anything special."

Apollo stared at him. "Not… Percy, you're…" he gestured a little, trying to illustrate without words. "I've never even _heard_ of someone more special!"

Percy seemed doubtful and more than a little confused.

"Look, I know this is a big decision," Apollo said quietly, "It's not like I want you to tell me right now that you'll marry me, or anything like that. I just…"

Percy spoke before the god could decide exactly what to say, "Do your kids have any idea about this? If I agree… I am _not_ going to be the one telling Will I'm essentially dating his dad."

Apollo blinked, looking startled, then chuckled. "I wouldn't make you do that."

"I have friends my age in your cabin," Percy stated.

Apollo eyed the demigod for a moment, trying to decide what that was supposed to mean.

Percy noticed the scrutiny, "Apollo, please go talk to your kids about… this. I need a few minutes to process."

Apollo stood, brushing sand of his clothes. "All right," he agreed, because it was a big decision and he was pretty sure the ever-loyal Percy didn't want to do anything to hurt his friendships. "Look away; I don't want to burn your retinas or anything."

Percy closed his eyes and turned his head and Apollo flashed out.

Percy sighed, flopping back against the sand. He'd never really thought much about his sexuality. He'd been mildly attracted to others before—both male and female—and he was pretty sure that was normal, but he'd never really had the time to try and develop a relationship.

He'd felt bad leaving Calypso, because she loved him, but he didn't love her. Not that way, not that quickly. Annabeth was like a sister, and she treated him like a brother. It had crossed his mind upon occasion that a man was physically attractive, but he'd never really cared to pursue those thoughts. And even if he'd wanted to… well, hello, war!

Now, though… and this was the freakin' _Sun God_ asking to _court_ him!

It was confusing.

But… where was the harm? It's not like they were going to jump in headfirst. According to Apollo, this was to see if they could work out. And, well… ancient Greeks did the whole bi-thing all the time, so campers tended not to have a problem with it.

Still, he didn't want to upset Will or the others.

Percy huffed, draping an arm over his eyes. If the only way he was certain to refuse depended on the Apollo Cabin's reaction… well, he'd just have to wait.

_xxxx_

Apollo flashed into the Big House and meandered over to Chiron, who bowed on sighting him, "Lord Apollo," the centaur greeted.

"Hey, Chiron—could you round up my kids and bring them here for me? I need to talk to them."

Chiron nodded, obviously surprised but equally obviously not going to protest. "Of course, Lord Apollo."

Apollo waited after the centaur cantered off, settling to lean against one of the support columns and stare out at the sky. He really hoped they'd be okay with this.

He straightened and turned as Will, the cabin's head counselor, followed Chiron inside, the rest of his kids filing in after him. They lined up and knelt, intoning "Father" as if they'd rehearsed it.

Although, they might have, knowing his kids.

"No need to be so formal," Apollo waved them up, adding on, "You can stay if you want, Chiron. You'll find out sooner or later if things work out."

Will looked at Chiron, who was the first to actually ask. "Lord Apollo? What is this about?"

Apollo shifted, "I've gotten Lord Poseidon's permission to court Percy Jackson," he admitted.

There was an uneasy pause, the campers exchanging glances. Finally Will spoke up, "You do know he's our friend, right?"

Apollo shrugged, seeming a little self-conscious, "That would be why I'm telling you."

"Awkward," Will muttered.

Apollo looked at him, raising an eyebrow.

"What? It _is_, Father."

Apollo shook his head, lips quirking towards a smile. "I wanted to see if any of you had any _actual_ protests."

Again, the campers exchanged glances, this time with the addition of shaken heads. Will spoke up again, "No, Father—aside from the 'awkward' part. Have you talked to Percy?"

"A little," the Sun God glanced back towards the sea, "He wanted some time—not that I blame him. He suggested I come talk to you for a while."

Will smiled, "I think we're okay. I mean, yeah—having a friend dating a parent is a little weird, but…" he shrugged, "We won't give him a hard time or start spreading it around camp."

Apollo smiled at his kids, then tilted his head, "Any of you have anything to talk about _outside_ of my love-life?"

That brought grins to his camper's faces, and Will started firing off suggestions for the cabin.

Apollo settled in to listen, nodding where appropriate and occasionally snapping his fingers to adjust something about the cabin.

_xxxx_

Percy raised his arm off of his eyes as a bright flash edged past his eyelids. "Hey," he greeted.

Apollo nervously made his way closer as Percy sat up, gesturing idly to the patch of sand beside him.

The god took that as the invitation it was and sat down, clearly not quite sure what to say.

"So," Percy twisted to look at the Sun God. "How'd it go?"

Apollo shrugged one shoulder, "Can't say they're ecstatic about it, but no one seems upset. Will's only comments were 'awkward' and 'kinda weird' before they collectively decided not give you any trouble about it, whatever you decide."

Percy nodded, idly chewing at his lower lip. "All right," he stated.

Apollo looked at him, his expression mixed confusion and hope.

"I'm reserving the right to break this off if it doesn't work out," Percy warned, "but… we can see how it goes."

Apollo gave an abortive movement towards the demigod, literally glowing as he smiled, then froze, seemingly not quite sure what to do with himself.

Percy watched him for a moment, then shrugged and stood, offering a hand to the still out-of-sorts Sun God.

Apollo took the hand and found himself pulled to his feet more easily than he'd expected, then the son of the Sea God gave him a brief hug.

Apollo's arms came up to return the gesture, though he let go immediately when he felt the younger male start to pull back. If he was honest with himself, he was just grateful that Percy felt comfortable enough to allow a hug.

Percy eyed the god for several seconds, "So. What next?"

Apollo titled his head, then grinned. "How about I take you somewhere tonight? I promise it won't be too upscale."

Percy nodded, blushing a bit. "Like a date?"

Apollo's grin widened, "Like a date."

Percy shifted his feet in the sand, blush deepening. "Um. Okay," then he smirked a bit, moving into the more familiar territory of teasing, though he'd never really teased a god. Taunted, yes. Teased? That was much more friendly. "But, Apollo? If we go anywhere mortal, you should turn off the glow."

Apollo blinked and looked down at himself, then flushed golden, the golden halo vanishing.

Percy couldn't help the chuckle that escaped him. "Don't you have godly duties to attend to before tonight?"

Apollo nodded once, still blushing in the golden manner of gods. "See you at six?" he offered.

Percy, feeling a bit daring, agreed. "It's a date."

Apollo smiled, then indicated for the demigod to close his eyes before vanishing in a brilliant flash of light.

As soon as Apollo was gone, Percy found himself much more nervous about that evening than he could recall having been about any non-life-threatening situation before. Granted, he'd never dated before. He'd never even _thought_ about dating. There was no way he'd drag an uninformed mortal into his life, and he was rarely at camp without some sort of major _something_ going on.

And—gods. He hadn't even _considered_ what his mother would say.

Percy bit his lip, fumbling in his pocket for a drachma, and pulled some of the sea-spray into a makeshift screen in the air. "Iris, Goddess of the Rainbow, accept my offering," the toss of the golden coin was thankfully familiar, "Sally Jackson."

The faint rainbow became a view of a familiar kitchen as his mother bustled about, making what looked like an early lunch. "Mom," Percy called to get her attention.

The woman turned, smiling broadly on sighting her son, "Oh, Percy!" she redirected her attention towards the table for a moment, "Paul, it's Percy! How are things at camp, dear?"

"Good," Percy smiled back, a little nervously as he paused for his stepfather to move into range of the IM.

"Percy? Is something wrong?" Sally walked closer to the screen of mist, clearly concerned.

"No, nothing's wrong," Percy hastened to reassure, "It's just… I'm kind-of… seeing someone."

Sally smiled, "Oh, that's wonderful! When did this happen?"

"About ten minutes ago," Percy's wry tone wasn't lost on either of his mortal parents.

"Oh? And who is she?"

The demigod flushed, "He."

His mom was visibly surprised and Paul's eyebrows shot towards his hairline.

"Well… do you _like_ him?"

Percy shifted, "I don't know… I mean, he's nice. But I don't know him very well, yet."

Paul made as if to say something, glanced at Sally, and stopped himself.

"… Are you sure this is safe, Percy?"

Percy nodded, "Well, he managed to get Dad's permission to court me, so…"

Sally frowned consideringly and Paul repeated "_Court?_" as though he couldn't believe he was hearing the word.

Percy nodded, "He said that we'd just be getting to know each other for a while, which is okay. I mean, it gives me some time to sort things out in my head."

Sally nodded, "All right, Percy. But if you need someone to talk to about _things_…" she emphasized the last word in a very specific manner.

Percy blushed, "Okay, okay. I get it. But, really, it's nothing to worry about for a while. Anyway, I should get back to camp. Talk to you later."

After farewells, Percy dismissed the IM and made his way back towards his cabin, only to find Will Solace sitting on his doorstep.

"Hey," he greeted, a little awkwardly, because—seriously, he'd just agreed to a romantic relationship with the other demigod's _dad._

Will stood up, "Hey, Perce. What's the verdict?"

"… I agreed, if that's what you mean."

Will hesitated, getting a very strange expression on his face. "Okay, yeah. That's just gonna be weird," the son of Apollo decided. "I mean, he obviously cares about you, and I want him to be happy. You're my friend, and I want _you_ to be happy. If this works out… well, I wish you both the best. But still. Weird."

Percy gave a laughing groan, "Tell me about it. He's taking me on a _date_ tonight. I keep on thinking about the fact that I know his kids."

Will snorted, a smirk quirking his lips briefly upwards before he suddenly grew serious. "Percy, the Apollo cabin's agreed to keep quiet about this for now. That's okay, right?"

Percy nodded, "Yeah. I _really_ don't need any more attention."

Will laughed, "Yeah, I thought you'd say that. Well, see you later, Percy."

Percy waved as the other demigod headed off towards the archery range, then made his way into his cabin and collapsed face-first onto his bed with a relieved huff, burying his face in the pillow for several seconds before flipping onto his side so he could breathe and closing his eyes, determined to take a nap. His brain needed a break.

_xxxx_


	3. Chapter 2

_Not quite sure how the chapter breaks are going to fall, but the date will be either in the 3__rd__ or 4__th__ chapter. Also, for anyone who follows _The Bonding,_ I've got the next chapter almost finished. Not quite sure when it'll be out, but it will hopefully be fairly soon._

_Short chapter. Next one should be longer._

_**Chapter 2**_

"Oh," Sally sounded disappointed as she turned back to the stove just in time to keep the food from burning, a little put out when she realized one 'minor' detail. "Percy never said who 'he' is…"

Paul shook his head, looking like he was trying to get his bearings. "Well, probably another demigod, if he managed to get Lord Poseidon's approval."

Sally nodded, still frowning. "There are times when I wish Iris would transmit messages for mortals with demigod children. Or that phones didn't attract every monster within five miles."

Paul laughed, "I know what you mean. Still… he'll tell us eventually."

Sally set aside her spoon, made sure the stove was off, and turned to face her husband. "You _are_ all right with this, aren't you?"

Paul shrugged, "I admit to being surprised; I didn't realize Percy was willing to consider boys. Though, he and his group are really a bunch of modern-day ancient Greeks… I don't know _what_ I was expecting. If this mysterious suitor works out, I won't have a problem with it."

Sally smiled at him, "If he doesn't?"

Paul smirked, "Well, we'll have to have _words,_ won't we?"

Sally laughed and hugged her husband, planting a kiss on his cheek before growing a bit more serious. "Courting is pretty… _specific_, isn't it?"

Paul nodded, "Whoever it is must really like Percy to even _consider_ asking a god for permission to court his son. It's very… dedicated."

Sally smiled again, "Well, I suppose that's a relief. And Poseidon is as protective as a god _can_ be."

Paul thought that one over, "That's true. We'll just have to wait and see what happens, hm?"

Sally turned to pull plates out of the cupboard, "I guess we will."

_xxxx_

Apollo ambushed his sister in the throne room, pouncing on her in a tackle-hug while glowing brightly. He was happy, excited, and nervous. He decided to take it out on Artemis.

Artemis went down with a startled 'oof', then tried to shove her _sparkling_ brother off. "Get _off_ me, you idiot!"

The yell drew the attention of the other deities in the room, namely Hermes, Hestia, and an eyebrow-raising Poseidon. The latter was fairly sure he knew what this was about, but Apollo was acting like a giddy, sugar-high six-year-old.

He kissed his sister's cheek and scrambled to a safe distance before she could retaliate with a knee or elbow. Huffing, the Maiden Goddess disappeared in a flash of silver before she could do something too out of character, but Apollo spotted the genuine smile as she left.

Hermes stared and Hestia giggled. Poseidon pointedly returned his attention to the godly version of paperwork, intent on getting his morning duties taken care of so he could go visit his son.

"Apollo?" Hermes asked, a little hesitantly, "What?"

"Hermes!" the Sun God was across the room and tackling the Messenger God in another hug before bounding back across the room to hug Hestia.

Hermes hauled himself back to his feet, "Apollo! What the _Tartarus?_"

Apollo ignored the question to turn towards Poseidon, who was seated on his throne and concentrating on the world's seas. He prudently decided not to give his uncle the same sort of hello he had given to the others, fairly sure it would _not_ be appreciated. Instead he settled for a frighteningly cheerful "Hi, Poseidon!"

Poseidon glanced up, "I see your 'errand' went well."

Apollo grinned, then his expression morphed to something between anxiety and glee. He opened his mouth.

Poseidon slid pointed glance towards Hermes, "Later, Apollo," he instructed.

The Sun God's mouth closed with a click. "Spoilsport."

Poseidon didn't grace that with a comment, "Don't you have duties to attend to today?"

Apollo huffed, but toned down the sparkling glow and flopped across his throne, closing his eyes and focusing to make sure his domains were running smoothly.

Martha piped up from Hermes' pocket, muffled enough that it was hard to understand. George made a sound like agreement and Hermes sighed, pulling his 'cell phone' from his pocket just in time for everyone to catch George's matter-of-fact last word. "—rat."

A glance at the screen caused Hermes to groan before promptly vanishing.

Silence reigned in the throne room, save for the occasional crackle of the hearth-fire as Hestia returned her attention to the flames.

Several minutes passed before Apollo opened his eyes, grinning. "Well, that was easy."

Poseidon sighed, though he, too, had finished those of his duties that required him to be on Olympus. "What, Apollo?"

"I'm taking him out tonight. Where should we go? I promised it wouldn't be too much, and I want it to be somewhere he'd be comfortable with, but I don't know any good places by the water and—"

"Apollo," Poseidon cut in, sounding amused, "_Breathe._"

Apollo shut up, blushing gold.

Poseidon shook his head and stood, "Come with me."

_xxxx_

Percy woke, stretched lazily, and rolled over to look at the clock.

His immediate response was to make a face—it was about half an hour until he had to be at sword practice, which he _really_ wanted to skip. He knew that most of camp would never believe that, though, and pretty much every cabin would probably send someone to check up on him. So he sighed, rolled out of bed, pulled on his lightest armor (a set made of simple hardened leather), and made his way to the practice fields. It was only sparring, after all.

_xxxx_

Poseidon transported himself to the shoreline near camp, making his way towards camp proper on foot, taking the time to decide what to say to his son. Oh, he wouldn't spoil Apollo's surprise—as amusing as it had been to have the Sun God fret enough to go to his love interest's _father_ for advice, he could see that Apollo truly meant well.

Besides which, if things worked out… there was the possibility of Percy accepting immortality. It would be nice to no longer have to worry constantly for his son's safety, counting the possible years Percy had left.

The clash of blades caught his attention, as well as Percy's 'teaching' voice. He wasn't quite close enough to hear more than the tone, but his lips quirked up in an involuntary smile. Sword practice.

Poseidon made his way toward the arena, where his son had gathered a small audience.

_xxxx_

Percy was so surprised upon seeing his father walk up behind the small crowd that he lowered his guard.

His opponent—one of the newer Hermes kids—landed a kick to his chest.

Now, the impact was far from enough to cause damage even _without_ the Curse of Achilles, but it was more than enough to send Percy back a couple steps. His heel caught on the edge of one of the many rocks littering the edge of the arena and he ended up flat on his back, another, larger rock driving his armor against his weak point.

The impact was not enough to even bruise under normal circumstances, but an Achilles Mark was far from normal. Though the blow didn't break the skin, Percy's vision whited out as agony tore through him.

_xxxx_


	4. Chapter 3

_I've been working on my other stories as well, to anyone who's tracking those. I don't know when I'll be able to post, though._

_**Chapter 3**_

Most of the gods could tell if their children were physically injured or unwell when they were close enough (distance-wise), regardless of appearance. It was easier for the gods with fewer children, and easier still when the child in question was in direct line-of-sight.

Poseidon had always had a stronger knack for knowing than most of the other gods, though he had to be within sixty yards or so for it to work.

Percy's distress washed over him like a tidal wave.

"Out of my way!" Poseidon commanded, drawing the attention of every camper in the area to himself.

The older campers scrambled aside, either recognizing him personally or just realizing he was a god, falling to their knees as soon as they cleared a path.

The newer campers followed suit, not all of them sure what was going on, but knowing better than to ask in the face of the sense of barely contained _power_ Poseidon radiated.

In an instant, the Sea God was at his son's side, dropping to one knee.

Percy blinked, vision still blurred with pain, but no longer blinded. He did his best to cover his distress, starting to sit.

Poseidon immediately eased an arm behind his shoulders as he shifted, then cast a sharp glance across the arena before returning his attention to his son. He knew quite well why Percy was trying to play it off as nothing but surprise, and he was not going to further any suspicions any of the campers held. "Percy, I need to speak with you," he stated, voice low but pitched to carry. "Come. We are going somewhere more private."

He flashed them out without waiting for a response.

Chiron cantered up and took control of the situation left behind with a bemused, "Well. That was… unexpected."

_xxxx_

Poseidon had no reservations about teleporting his injured son to the bottom of the sea—specifically, to his personal study in his underwater palace—still kneeling, one arm supporting Percy's shoulders. The water would ease his son's pain at the least and could heal him completely given enough time.

As expected, the demigod groaned in relief, sagging back against his father's supporting arm.

"I'm sorry, Percy," Poseidon apologized. "I did not mean to cause you injury."

Percy opened his eyes and offered a tired grin, "Inconvenient rock did that."

Poseidon smiled slightly at Percy's retained humor and apparent dismissal of any possible guilt, somewhere between relieved and disappointed as the demigod straightened away from his support. It was rare that he had the chance to physically aid his son, but still a good thing that Percy was recovered enough to no longer need it.

"So," Percy twisted to look at his father, "You wanted to talk?"

"Yes," Poseidon stood, offering a hand to pull his son to his feet as well, "It was far from serious enough to require relocating to _here,_ but considering the circumstances…"

Percy rolled his shoulders and twisted an arm around to rub at his back, wincing a bit. "Yeah. Thanks for that. I'd have _hated_ to stay at camp much longer."

"Are you still in pain?" It was an unnecessary question. Poseidon could sense the lingering discomfort, but it was fading.

Percy waved off the concern, "Only a little," he assured, not actually aware of that particular godly ability. He came to a quick decision—he trusted his father, as he trusted Annabeth. After feeling the currents around them to make sure there was no one else within hearing range, he confided, "My weak point's near my lower back. Landed on a sharp rock—it could have been bad without the armor, but…" he shrugged.

Poseidon flinched at the reminder of Percy's mortality. Knowing his son was in pain, knowing that he had been terribly hurt not only despite but _because of_ his curse… that was bad enough. If Percy hadn't been wearing armor, a sharp rock—even the lightest scratch would have been fatal. He could have lost his son, and it would have been at least partially his own fault for causing such a distraction.

That thought almost drove his initial reason for finding Percy from his mind, the only thing bringing him back to the topic his son had almost _died_ over being Percy's following question.

"Is something wrong?"

Poseidon dragged his thoughts away from his reactive fear, gesturing for Percy to take a seat in the sculpted shell chair next to his own desk, settling into a similar chair himself. "Not wrong, no. I wanted to see how you were doing. Now that the laws have been… loosened, I am permitted to do so upon occasion."

Percy smiled and the two settled in to talk.

_xxxx_

Percy felt much calmer about the whole 'Apollo courting him' thing by the time his father returned him to his cabin at Camp. At least he understood why Poseidon had allowed it. Apollo was faithful. That was… good to know.

Although there was a lingering edge of nervousness and 'what is Mom going to think' that he couldn't quite shake, he was actually starting to look forward to the date. Apollo was a pretty cool god, and the chance to get to know him wasn't exactly something that came up for demigods on a regular basis—not even his children.

Or, rather, _especially_ not his children, what with the old laws. Now Apollo—and most of the other gods and goddesses—dropped in at Camp on an informal 'checking up on you' basis, he was still a god and therefore busy enough that the social calls for his kids were fairly few and far between.

Not to mention still somewhat frowned upon if they became too frequent, and Apollo couldn't exactly defy Zeus the way Poseidon and Hades occasionally did.

It suddenly occurred to Percy to wonder if Zeus knew about Apollo's interest in him. On second thought, he didn't want to know—thinking of which, it was coming up on five.

Percy groaned and went in search of his surrogate sister.

_xxxx_

Annabeth managed to take the news more-or-less in stride. Sure, she was surprised at Percy's first half-sheepish revelation, but it was _Percy._ Of course if anything like this were to come up in their generation, it would involve him.

Then his reason for coming to her despite knowing she was swamped with work that day came up. She couldn't help smirking a bit at his expense. "Oh, Percy…"

She didn't refuse, though. Percy probably needed all the help he could get, considering the day he'd had. "Come on, we need to hurry. You don't have a lot of time before Apollo gets here."

_xxxx_


End file.
